Gottfried "Götz" von Berlichingen was no ordinary knight. A formidable figure in 16th-century Germany, he earned both fame and infamy as a mercenary, rebel, and folk hero. Born around 1480 into a minor noble family, Götz lived through the waning days of the medieval knight, when chivalry was giving way to gunpowder. But rather than fading into obscurity, he forged a legacy—quite literally. After losing his right hand to cannon fire during a siege, Götz commissioned a remarkable iron prosthetic that allowed him to continue fighting. With this mechanical marvel strapped to his arm, he returned to the battlefield, undeterred and unyielding. Götz’s life inspired Goethe’s 1773 drama Götz von Berlichingen, which helped turn the iron-handed knight into a lasting icon of rebellion and individual will.
A relief of Götz in Weisenheim am Sand with his famous quote: "Tell him, he can lick my arse". Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Götz was seventeen when he entered the service of Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. In 1498, he fought in the armies of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, seeing action in Burgundy, Lorraine, and the Brabant, as well as in the Swabian War the following year. By 1500, he had left the service of Frederick of Brandenburg and formed a company of mercenaries, offering his services to various dukes, margraves, and barons.
In 1504, at the age of twenty-four, Götz was well on his way to establishing a reputation as a fearsome knight and an accomplished leader when he suffered a devastating injury during the Siege of Landshut.
Götz and his company of mercenary soldiers were fighting on behalf of Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria, against the heirs of George the Rich, Duke of Bavaria-Landshut, when cannon fire tore off his right hand. The blast ripped through his armour and flesh, driving metal shards so deeply into his forearm that he later recounted the limb was left “dangling from a strip of skin.” Nevertheless, he remained calm and rode back to his encampment, where he later underwent an amputation.
At first, Götz was devastated by the loss of his arm. He feared he would never fight again. In despair, he prayed for death, reasoning that life without the ability to serve as a knight was worse than death itself.
But Götz was a fighter, and he refused to be defeated. Remembering that he had once seen another injured knight using a prosthetic hand “to fight as well as anyone else,” he commissioned a prosthesis of his own.
Götz’s first prosthesis was a simple affair. It was an iron glove with a thumb and movable fingers. With the help of two hinges, the curved fingers could be brought inward and locked into place, allowing him to grip his sword. Some attention was paid to aesthetic detail, including sculpted fingernails and wrinkles at the knuckles. While not particularly advanced, the prosthesis allowed Götz to ride and hold weapons passively, though not to manipulate them with precision. It restored a semblance of knightly presence and utility, helping him appear in armour and maintain the social identity of a fighting nobleman.
Götz von Berlichingen’s first prosthetic. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Later, he commissioned a second, more sophisticated prosthesis featuring individually movable fingers with joints at each knuckle. The hand could be set into a variety of positions. Each finger was spring-loaded and could be locked into place using small levers and catches. This advanced prosthesis allowed him to hold a sword, the reins of a horse, a quill, or other tools with a greater degree of control. Despite its technical ingenuity, the second hand was delicate and somewhat cumbersome. Götz reserved it for formal occasions, preferring the simpler and sturdier first prosthesis for daily use. Götz used this prosthesis extensively. Modern endoscopic examinations of its internal mechanisms have revealed significant wear, indicating frequent use.
Both prosthetic hands survive today and are kept at the Götzenburg Castle in Jagsthausen, Götz’s ancestral home, now partially a hotel and museum.
Götz von Berlichingen’s second prosthetic. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Götz of the Iron Hand, as he came to be known as, continued fighting until the age of 64, participating in campaigns against the Ottoman Empire and in the 1544 Imperial invasion of France. After the French campaign, Götz retired to his ancestral home, Burg Jagsthausen, and later moved to Hornberg Castle near the Neckar River. There, he lived out his final years as a landed noble, managing his estates and reflecting on his life. Around this time, he dictated his autobiography, Lebens-Beschreibung des Herrn Gözens von Berlichingen mit der eisernen Hand ("The Life of Sir Götz von Berlichingen with the Iron Hand").
In this memoir, Götz recounts his adventures, battles, and injuries with pride and in vivid detail, providing invaluable insight into the mindset of a 16th-century knight navigating a changing world. The manuscript was later discovered and published in the 18th century, eventually inspiring Goethe’s 1773 play, which helped elevate Götz from historical figure to legend.
One of the most famous and colourful moments associated with Götz von Berlichingen comes directly from his own memoirs. During a standoff with the forces of the Bishop of Bamberg, Götz was ordered to surrender. In response, he famously shouted back:
“Er aber, sag’s ihm, er kann mich im Arsche lecken!”
“Tell him he can lick my ass!”
The phrase has been passed down in popular culture as a classic expression of rebellion and defiance, associated with the rough, independent spirit of the Franconian knight. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe included this line in his 1773 play Götz von Berlichingen, helping to immortalize it.
Götz von Berlichingen died in 1562, at the remarkable age of around 82—an unusually long life for someone who spent so much of it in violent conflict. He was buried in the village church at Hornberg, where a grave marker commemorates him.
Comments
Post a Comment